The Prince and the Dreamcatcher
by BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: Standing in the rain, missing a part of his soul, a young archer finds himself infinitely grateful for the journey he's been set on. As Noctis comforts him in an unbearably dark hour, Lorien reawakens to the importance of a journey-and a promise. Mentions of Ignoct and Prompto/Male OC.


Author's Notes: Inspired by others sharing their original XV characters, I thought I'd share a piece of my oc's tale. Lorien was just born yesterday, and is still a MAJOR work in progress, but I couldn't wait to write this. Please don't be afraid to provide any constructive criticism on Lorien.

A little bit about Lorien: Last name is Divus. 19 years of age. His first name comes from Lord of the Rings lore and means 'dreamer', which has significant meaning that's currently undergoing massive development. Male with shoulder-length silver hair and blue-green eyes. Ain from Elsword is his faceclaim. Uses a crossbow and elemental magic in battle. Violinist. I'm making him a Pinterest board under the username 'lavenderscout', simply called 'Lorien'.

It's raining where I live, which is why it's raining in the story.

Thank you for being here, from the bottom of my heart.

* * *

Noctis laid a hand on his shoulder, as calm and soothing as the afternoon's rainy lullaby.

"I know what you're going through, trust me. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here."

Lorien turned to him with a smile, a symphony of loss, brokenness and gratitude painted in rain. For a moment the heavens' falling tears were the only melodies gracing his pocket of the universe, following him as he fell deeper into the Crown Prince's presence. The silver-haired violinist's smile was one of profound emotion, emitting a pulsating montage of heartache, memory and appreciation, assuring Noctis his offer would forever be close to heart. It was under a rain-soaked field he stood, having lost a piece of his soul. Holding onto a lifeline wasn't that bad of an idea.

They were all there, comforting him, benching the business of getting Noctis to his fiancée. Lorien urged them to stay on the road they had been given, not wanting to be the wrench in their plans, but they were relentless, even Prompto, when he was gentle enough to have a baby chocobo take up arms for him.

The archer of blue eyes couldn't help but smile, being graced by such overpowering kindness, unwilling to let even the afternoon nightmare tear him away from such friends. They were adamant about assuring him all would be taken care of in due time, unwilling to pile extra worries onto his shoulders when there was already a universe to carry. Ignis, having mastered the art of making everything so simple, simply told him that an extra trip to Lestallum wouldn't 'inconvenience us at all'. Gladiolus wouldn't accept any opinion that pushed otherwise, never one to abandon any friend in need-something Lorien discovered a few days into their journey together.

It started off easily enough, their time on the road, with Noctis and his friends accepting a job on his behalf. The herbalist that had taken a much younger Lorien in asked for their services, needing someone to retrieve a closely guarded herb from a pretty protective beast. It seemed simple enough, and should have come to a simple end, but time, space and fate fell into place in ways he didn't expect. As the hours unfolded, Lorien became cemented in their journey, a guardian of the steps they planned on taking. And there he stood, at the edge of the universe weeks later, with one of his new friends by his side. Thanking the Six for giving him such an inspiring destiny.

Despite the volcanic eruptions going off inside, the bowman couldn't help but feel calm. It was an element poured into him by Noctis' mere presence, by the kindness and sincerity behind his words. The prince had just lost someone to the same type of destructive secrecy that swept his friend away, but there he was, offering a shoulder to cry on. With a smile.

Lorien smiled back, despite the rain welling up inside of him. Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus were inside his home, keeping the herbalist that had raised him company, but they were all there. All of them were beside him, not just Noctis, giving him shoulders to cry on. Silver locks fell in front of blue-green eyes, almost concealing the prince from view, but even if his eyes had been closed, Lorien wouldn't have lost faith. Wouldn't have lost faith in his friend's presence.

He had just lost his brother, someone that was undeniably his soulmate, the part of him he was missing at the beginning of his journey. Losing that part of him yet again killed him, making the warmth of his friends desperately needed. If it hadn't been for any of them, if it hadn't been for the Astrals planting him on their journey, everything would've turned black. Lifeless.

Pointless beyond measure.

His brother, a junior herbalist named Lynum, saved him when all lights went out. When life promised to be nothing but a soul-crushing void of deafening silence. Lynum had introduced him to music, to the way notes fell in place and blissfully illuminated the world. If it hadn't been for Lynum, he'd know nothing about the violin. The way it could soothe any soul when played by loving hands. That part of his life, his _heart,_ vanished without a trace, in his heart leaving a bleeding, empty space. It was the same for both of the young men-Regis kept his pain hidden from Noctis, Lynum said not a word of anything to Lorien. They really were bound, connected by the prince's smile and the falling rain.

Lorien smiled, feeling lighter than a feather despite his chest being heavier than the moon. "I'll be fine," he told the swordsman, frailty and vigor coming together as tears continued to fall. Rejecting Noctis' offer wasn't at all his intention-he didn't want to pile anything else on the prince's shoulders, when he already had a galaxy of worries to carry.

"I just need a moment. Sure you should be standing out here in the rain?"

Noctis shrugged. "Doesn't bother me any."

The bowman pushed locks of silver hair from his eyes. "Yeah, but it'll bother _Ignis_ if you catch a cold. You know that better than I do."

"So what? At least I'll get some bad-ass soup out of it. He makes a pretty mean vegetable soup."

…

"The last time I checked, you don't eat veggies."

"No, but the broth's pretty awesome."

"The broth. That's all you care about? The _broth?_ Why don't you just ask Ignis to make you some _broth?"_

"Already tried. All he ever talks about is how I need my vitamins, so he just makes the soup."

"But that doesn't-"

Lorien burst into laughter, the sounds like rays of sunlight rebelling against the cold, overwhelming dampness of the afternoon rain. Whether Noctis spoke the truth or just concocted that ludicrous story to uplift him, he couldn't tell, but it didn't matter. It made him laugh, as Noctis and his friends did on many occasions. It made him laugh when happiness seemed so far out of reach. And it was with another smile of the deepest appreciation he turned to his new friend, eyes aglow, ready to bottle up his affection for the other in simple words.

"So. When are you telling him?"

A scowl grew on Noctis' face. "When am I telling who what?"

Lorien folded his arms. "Come on. You're not going to drag him around _forever,_ are you?"

"Sorry, don't know who you're talking about, pal."

"You know _damn well_ who I'm talking about, Your Royal Pain in the Butt. It's bad enough you've got Ignis making you vegetable soup when you should just be asking for broth."

"Yeah, about that," Noctis retaliated, rubbing his chin, speaking as though he were explaining an elementary math equation. "I'm dealing with a little bit of a problem here. Two problems, actually. One: I'm the Crown Prince. Two: I'm, well, you know, _engaged._ So I'm not telling anyone anything."

"Do you love her?"

"She's like a sister to me," was the instant response, every word encased in the greatest affection, the greatest frustration. "Yeah, I love her. Would die for her. I just don't love her-"

"The way you love Ignis."

…

"Keep it up, _pal,_ and you'll find yourself riding in the trunk. Besides, when did we start playing 'Let's Interrogate the Prince of Lucis'? This is supposed to be about me comforting you over your friend."

Lorien nodded, sadness darkening an affectionate, broad smile. "Yeah, I know."

"You don't hear me giving you crap about Prompto. You wanna talk about feelings? Why don't _you_ tell Prompto how you feel about him?"

"You know, you don't have to be such a jackass."

"You started it."

Not a word was exchanged between them for an eon. They stood together, prince and violinist, swordsman and bowman, listening only to the sound of falling rain as their memories were carved into the earth. Noctis turned to him once the eternity had passed, eyes radiant with concern, wonder.

"You sure you wanna stay with us?"

"Yeah, I've never so sure of anything my whole life," the bowman instantly replied with a chuckle, surprising himself with how light, how cheerful, it sounded.

"Don't wanna miss out on all of the fun. Besides, I promised them I'd look after you guys."

The young swordsman said nothing, assuming Lorien was referring to Lynum and the Master Herbalist, unaware of the truth Lorien held close to heart. Lynum _was_ a part of that promise, was a part of his journey and always would be, but there was someone else. Someone else he shared promises with, someone else that guided him on the journey that should've had a simple end. It was a young woman, one he could not see but knew, from the music of her voice and the warmth of her spirit. Her voice filled his dreams every night, letting him know his journey wasn't meant to meet a simple end, one of her messages permeating his very bones on an hourly basis.

" _Please stay on the path laid out before you, for they cannot be saved without you. Your heartache will be great, but this mission cannot wait. Only you can change their fates."_


End file.
